Colleges With the Cheapest and Most Affordable Out-of-State Tuition

The United States Merchant Marine Academy is a federal service academy for students who want to become officers in the U.S. Merchant Marines and Armed Forces. The school is located in Kings Point, New York, just outside of New York City, and sees an annual enrollment of close to 1,000 students.

This is no ordinary university: All students must complete a “Sea Year” experiential learning requirement where they gain hands-on experience working on commercial or military ships. Graduates will earn a BS degree in one of five subjects, including Marine engineering, marine transportation, and marine logistics and security. In addition, graduates earn a Coast Guard license and an officer’s commission in the Armed Forces. Graduates must either serve in the U.S. Reserves as they work in the commercial maritime industry or serve in the Armed Forces.

The University of Puerto Rico has several campuses, each varying in size and program offerings. Its largest campus, the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras, is located in the island’s capital, San Juan, and serves more than 11,000 students, most of them undergraduates.

Colleges in Puerto Rico tend to be more affordable than those in the States. But if you’re coming from the continental U.S., check your desired school’s admissions requirements, because Puerto Rican colleges may require you to submit scores from standardized tests other than the ACT or SAT.

Located just a few minutes outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Institute of American Indian Arts enrolls roughly 830 students from close to 100 federally recognized tribes.

This arts institute offers undergraduate degrees in studio arts, performing arts, museum studies, indigenous liberal studies, creative writing, and cinematic arts and technology. The school also offers three graduate programs in creative writing, studio arts, and cultural administration, along with a handful of certificate and continuing education programs.

The fully remote University of Wisconsin Flex Program allows students to earn their degree from a top-tier public research university regardless of their location. The program’s tuition and fees are comparable to in-state rates, even for out-of-state students.

Tied to UW’s Milwaukee and Parkside campuses, the online flex program is self-paced and competency-based. Students sign up for a 12-week subscription to take as many courses as they want throughout that period. Students take assessments when they feel ready and receive credit for the course when they pass the assessments.

The program offers one associate degree option, four certificate options, and five bachelor’s degree options in business administration, biomedical sciences diagnostic imaging, biomedical health sciences, information science and technology, and nursing.

Elizabeth City State University is a historically Black university (HBCU) of just over 2,000 students in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. ECSU offers 27 bachelor’s programs and has a student-to-faculty ratio of 17-to-1. The university was founded in 1891 as a teacher-training school for Black students. Today, the school’s academic focus areas include health sciences, education, and aviation.

ECSU is the first of three North Carolina colleges to appear on our list of cheapest colleges for out-of-state students. The state has instituted the North Carolina Promise Program, which reduces tuition for state residents to just $500 per semester at UNC schools. As you can see, these colleges have some of the most affordable options for non-residents too.

Located in the small town of Pembroke, North Carolina, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke offers over 100 undergraduate and over 50 graduate programs. Even with a student population of over 7,500, the institution is able to maintain a student-to-faculty ratio of just 14-to-1.

When the school first opened, it was dedicated to the education of Native American teachers. UNC Pembroke is officially designated “North Carolina’s Historically American Indian University,” and students can visit the Museum of the Southeast American Indian on campus to learn more about Indigenous culture in the region.

The second HBCU on our list, Mississippi Valley State University is located in the small town of Itta Bena, Mississippi. Out-of-state students get a great deal: MVSU doesn’t charge an out-of-state tuition rate. About one-quarter of the school’s roughly 2,200 students are out-of-state or international learners.

Students can select from 36 undergraduate and graduate programs, including one of only seven accredited graduate environmental health programs in the country. The student-to-faculty ratio is 13-to-1, and the institution has roughly 90 full-time and 50 part-time faculty.

Located in Wayne, Nebraska, a little over 100 miles north of Omaha, Wayne State College enrolls just under 4,000 undergraduate students and offers over 130 academic programs. Students can earn their degrees online, with four online bachelor’s programs and over 25 online master’s programs.

Wayne State participates in Nebraska’s State College Tuition Guarantee, ensuring that Pell-qualifying students can attend college tuition-free.

Chadron State College offers over 50 undergraduate and over 20 graduate degree programs — many of them fully online. Its distance offerings can be completed in an accelerated, eight-week format. And none of these programs include upcharges for out-of-state students.

Plus, Chadron State appears among our top-ranked Nebraska colleges. So you don’t have to sacrifice quality for affordability.

Mississippi University for Women was the first public women’s college in the U.S. Today, the school enrolls all genders. It still carries out its mission of promoting women’s leadership through its Center for Women’s Research and Public Policy and a unique curriculum that includes women’s and gender issues across majors.

MUW serves most of its students fully online. It has a 100% admission rate and does not require a personal essay or standardized test scores for admission. The university is number four on our list of best colleges in Mississippi.